Wigan Athletic star happy to 'repay trust and faith'

The 29-year-old is enjoying by far his most productive season, with his penalty against Fleetwood in midweek taking him to 17 goals in 37 games.

His 11 goals last term - which were a big factor in Latics retaining their third tier status against all the odds - had already smashed his previous career best.

Having been brought in during administration, initially on a short-term deal, the move has been a massive success - for both parties,

"Obviously the club's made massive strides, and it's been great to be a part of it," said Keane, who came through the ranks at Manchester United before injuries hampered his progress.

"Last season was a struggle at times at the wrong end of the division.

"But after coming back, I felt at home here, a valued member of the squad, and it's nice to be able to repay the manager for the trust and faith he showed in me.

"Last summer, it looked as though the club was looking to kick on and move forward, and I was very pleased to commit to that.

"My year here was a successful one for both myself and the club, and I wanted to be part of the next step."

This is Keane's second spell with Latics, having experienced a short loan spell under Uwe Rosler in 2013/14.

"Having been here previously, I knew the togetherness about the place on the whole," added Keane, who received his first senior Ireland call-up earlier this season.

"It was great to see that spirit come through again last year, and probably played a big part in us achieving our goals.

"With the new ownership, we can dare to dream again, but at the same time we're not getting ahead of ourselves.

"We'll keep working hard, pushing ourselves and seeing where that takes us."

Latics face struggling Wimbledon at the DW Stadium this weekend, and have a midweek Papa John’s Trophy semi-final tie against Sutton before next weekend’s crunch clash at third-placed MK Dons.